CLEVELAND — Baseball’s draft system has made 11th- and 12th-round picks more exciting to teams in many cases than some picks in the middle of the first top-10 rounds, because of the draft signing bonus pool system. Clubs will usually go for a cost-saving pick or four in the top-10 rounds, which are governed by the signing bonus slot system.
Patrick Sandoval, an 18-year-old lefty out of Mission Viejo high school in California, is a pick to get excited about then. The Astros’ 11th rounder signed for $900,000, a person familiar with the deal said.
Sandoval’s high school season saw him go 9-3 with a 0.